FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a detergent dispenser, particularly for dishwashers, in which the device located in a boundary wall of a liquid-carrying container is comprised of a housing with at least one container to receive detergents, each of which is closed by a cover which can be controllably opened.
In dishwashers, household dishwashers in particular, dispensers are customarily used by means of which various dispensed agents such as dishwasher detergents and rinse agents can be added by doses at a predetermined point in time of a current wash cycle to wash water circulated in the dishwasher, controlled by a programmed control unit.
Such dispensers have become known heretofore, from European patent disclosure EP 0 602 572 or German Offenlegungsschrift DE 38 02 210, for instance. As customary, they have at least one container located in a door for closing a wash compartment of the dishwasher and directed toward the wash compartment. The container has at least one space for at least one single dose of detergent. The container for detergents is closed by a cover which, as described above, is controllably opened.
In addition to the container described above, which is customarily used for a powdered detergent, the above-cited prior art documents have an additional container for liquid rinse agent.
When opened, the cover in accordance with the above-mentioned prior art documents is moved in an upward direction about a horizontal axis as a result of the initial tension of a spring. This swinging open of the cover has the disadvantage that the rim of the cover opposite the horizontal axis completes a semi-circular motion directed into the interior of the wash compartment of the dishwasher, which should take place with as little obstruction as possible. Such dishwashers customarily have dish racks to accommodate the dishes to be washed and one of the dish racks is located in the area of the dispenser. This dish rack must therefore be designed so that the cover of the detergent dispenser is not hindered from swinging open, since if the cover is hindered in opening by projecting dishes or by parts of the dish rack, the resulting incomplete opening of the detergent container prevents complete dispensing and subsequent flushing of the container. This results in reduced detergent concentration in the circulated wash water, which leads to an inadequate cleaning result. However, a corresponding design of the dish rack, such as by a setback of the front edge or by a recess, leads to a constriction of the filling space of a dishwasher which is limited in any case.
A further disadvantage of the well-known swinging motion of the cover is that, due to the initial tension of the above-mentioned spring, the cover vigorously strikes the door to which the detergent dispenser is fastened, thus producing a noise. This may also result in damage to the dispenser.